Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard won the first-ever Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP award, but he revealed he didn't initially aim to win the highly coveted NBA honor.
Speaking to reporters in his postgame presser, Leonard emphasized that he did not come into the NBA All-Star Game aiming to win the trophy. While many All-Stars — as Anthony Davis said prior to the game — were expected to compete for the award in honor of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kawhi was not one of them.
However, as the game progressed, Leonard found the motivation to try and chase for the honor.
“I didn’t come into the game saying I wanted to take the trophy home. I came in and made my first two shots, kept shooting, made more shots and that’s when I told myself I was going to try to get it,” Leonard shared, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post.
Kawhi finished the contest with a game-high 30 points on top of seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks to lead Team LeBron to a 157-155 victory over Team Giannis.
After winning the NBA All-Star MVP honors, Kawhi Leonard got a bit emotional and expressed his joy that he would be able to take home the trophy. He added that he is excited to put the trophy in their trophy room and see Kobe Bryant's name there whenever they look.
Kawhi Leonard on winning the first-ever Kobe Bryant MVP Award: “Words can’t explain how happy I am to put that trophy in our trophy room and see Kobe’s name on there.” pic.twitter.com/nIpVcVSJ1z
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) February 17, 2020
Follow Us
Subscribe